SHRIMP AND SCALLOP PESTO LINGUINI

There’s something romantic about pasta and seafood coming together with a creamy sauce. I would absolutely cook this for my husband on a special night in. The seafood flavor infuses with the pesto white wine cream sauce to make for something magical. I’m serious, the romance will come alive with this meal I promise you. Plus it’s a great subject for conversation (since there’s no possible way anyone could hate this meal). Light some candles, turn on some music and enjoy this dinner at home with your love bug.

This is also the perfect pasta to make for company. The flavors of this pasta will be sure to rock their taste buds. This is a sure way to impress friends and family.

I have so many pasta recipes to share with you all throughout this next year, but this one in particular is something special. The moment I tasted the beautiful white wine pesto sauce, I knew I had a keeper. Although it looks fancy and sounds complicated, it’s actually quite easy to make. The ingredients are pretty simple and straightforward so they won’t be hard to find in any grocery store. When it comes to the wine used, I had Chardonnay on hand. I used that… but any dry white wine will work just fine. If you’re not sure what a “dry” white wine is (like me a few years back) google it and you’ll find several recommendations.

SHRIMP AND SCALLOP PESTO LINGUINI

Prep time: 15-20 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. linguini pasta, cooked

1/2 cup reserved pasta water

2 tbsp olive oil

6 tbsp salted buttery

6 cloves garlic, small chop

1/2 lb. small scallops

1 lb. white shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup spinach and basil walnut pesto (recipe link below)

1/2 large lemon, juice and zest of

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Kosher salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 heaping handful arugula, washed and dried

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat a large tall sided pan to medium heat. Add in olive oil and 4 tbsp butter. Let melt. Then add in shrimp and scallops. Cook shrimp about 2 minutes per side (depending on how large your shrimp are). Remove from pan. Cook scallops about 2-3 minutes per side (depending on how big your scallops are). Remove from pan.

Once the pan is cleared, add in the remaining 2 tbsp butter and garlic. Cook for an additional minute then add in white wine and turn heat up to medium high. Stir occasionally while the wine reduces. Reduce wine by 1/3. Should take about 4-5 minutes.

Once reduced add in cream, pesto, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a soft boil and whisk in parmesan cheese. Let the cheese melt and incorporate into the sauce. Turn off heat.

Add back in shrimp and scallops, along with the cooked pasta. Use tongs to mix everything together. Slowly add in reserved pasta water a little bit at a time. This will thin out the sauce a bit. (You may or may not use the entire 1/2 cup of water depending on how thick you’d like your sauce).

Mix once more while adding in arugula. The arugula will wilt slightly with the heat. Serve immediately.